


There's An App For That

by TalesFrom_AJinx



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 00:09:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15351864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesFrom_AJinx/pseuds/TalesFrom_AJinx
Summary: Follows a prompt where Dean meets Cas through an App designed to help people struggling with their mental health. They arenot hunters in this. Dean works in a grocery store and Sam is at college.





	1. Empty Nester

Saturday always sucked. Dean tried to remember the last time he had really enjoyed a Saturday and drew a blank. He sighed and looked at his cellphone.  
No messages. No missed calls. What the hell could be so great at college that his brother couldnt take the time to let him know he had made it okay? Dean had already  
calculated the mileage in his head. He could have gotten there from Kansas in 25 hours if he pushed it. And with all the road trips growing up with their dad being a traveling salesman Dean knew Sammy knew how to push it. 

 

The day Sam had loaded the last bit of his stuff into the trunk of the rental car had been bitter sweet. Of course Dean was proud of his brother. This was everything Dean had worked so hard for in the years since their dads unfortunate death/murder. The reason Dean dropped out of school and started pulling double shifts at the Checkers grocery. Despite his pent up teenage angst and bad attitude Dean had done well there and rose from check out boy to supervisor over produce very fast for someone his age. It was all he could do to keep a roof over their heads and ensure that Sam could stay in school.  
Before tragedy had befallen the boys for a second time, Dean had had an argument with their dad. An argument so bad it had led to Dean starting the paperwork to have himself immancipated and recognized as a legal minor. It was the thing that would haunt Dean for a lifetime, but at least it had been a way for him to be able to raise Sammy without the foster system becoming too involved.  
Except for one feisty little social worker making her monthly well check visits. Dean learned early on to use his looks to charm older women and she was no exception to his wiles. More than a few times he had to flirt his way out of a too dirty apartment or a too empty fridge, but together he and Sam had survived. And now Sam was going to college. Not just college, but his first pick of colleges.  
Dean had enveloped his younger brother in a hug, creating a blur of denim and flannel for the neighbors. He had hugged Sam too tightly and he had neglected to let go.  
"Im going to be okay, Dean." Sam had said into his shoulder, a bit muffled from the flannel threatening to suffocate him.  
Dean had pulled back then, aware of how chick flicky the whole goodbye thing seemed. He gave Sam a few manly claps on the back. "I know you will. And when you get back here I can finally go crazy irrisponsible and my little brother can defend me if I get too crazy and break the law." It was supposed to be a joke but he regretted throwing the irrisponsible part in there. He really didnt want Sam to feel like he had ever burdened Dean. He hadnt. But by the way Sam looked at him, he knew that Sam felt that way. Thankfully they both let the awkward moment pass and Sam forced a laugh.  
"Yeah....well not at first. I have to get into law school after this." He informed Dean, before glancing at his watch. A graduation present. A lot of his friends had gotten cars and when Dean realized this after presenting him with a gold watch he had begged Sam to take his car instead. Sam had refused, saying how Freshman werent allowed cars on campus anyways. And how the watch was much more practical. And besides he wanted to rent a car to drive cross country.  
Sam would never have taken Deans car. The 1967 Chevy Impala was all either of them had left of their childhood. And Sam knew it meant much more to Dean. When Dean and their dad worked on the car,thats the only time that their relationship worked. And now when Dean did his own work to keep it original, it was the only time his relationship with himself worked.  
"Better get going then." Dean said, hating his eyes for suddenly getting leaky.  
"Yeah, I will call you when I get there." Sam had said. But they both continued to hang there by the back of the rental car awkwardly.  
Dean grabbed his brother and wrapped him in another tight hug, "We are both going to be okay." He had said, roughing up Sams hair some. "Now get going Joe College."  
He stood in the street waving to the rental cars headlights until they were completely out of sight. And even when they were gone he just stood there, staring at the new void that was his life. Only after darkness had settled around him did he turn to walk back into the townhouse with a barely audible, "Goodbye, Sammy."

 

Dean shook himself free from the memory and glared at his phone, "I will call you when I get there." He mocked to himself. The clock above the t.v reminded him he was going to be late for work if he didnt leave now so he pocketed his phone and donned his Checkers smock before heading back to the place he lovingly referred to as Hell. 

 

"Heyyyyy Deano!!!" His manager, Meg, called out to him, as he made his way through the makeshift storage area. Boxes were piled everywhere and he noticed the guest bathroom was blocked off by a few carts full of items waiting to be tagged with mark down stickers. "Step into my office Chief." She said as he moved the carts out of the way. This was why he hated Saturday, and he already knew what she was going to ask.

"Let me guess," He said, stepping into the tiny office that was big enough for one desk, a chair and an employee bulletin board with equal opportunity employer information hanging lopsided and forgotten. "You want me to stay late and do the inventory." 

She grinned at him. "Thats why we keep you around, Dean. You're one of the smart ones. So what d'ya say?" 

What could he say? He needed the money, and if he went home he would only sit around missing and worrying about his brother. 

"You throwing in a free pie?" He bargained.

"Thanks Deano!" She said, again using the nickname she knew he hated. 

Dean turned on his heel and walked out of the office, stopping to redirect an elderly woman looking for the restroom who had gotten distracted by the carts full of not yet marked down items. He got her redirected,moved the carts a bit closer to the office door and headed out to stock some produce. He only had one employee working under him tonight. An older man with great stories but poor work ethic. Still, Rufus had always looked out for Dean when he had first begun being Sams caretaker and Dean always did everything he could to make sure Rufus' job was safe. Even if it meant working like he was two people. He really didnt mind. He would unload boxes of carrots and celery and Rufus would lean against the vegetable coolers and just tell Dean all about his life and update Dean on current news. He always wanted to know what Dean thought about what was happening in the world around them. He was the only person who had ever really made Dean feel like he had a voice and his thoughts counted. Dean had always thought of Sam as the smart one. Sam was the one whos opinions counted. He was just kind of like a pack mule. He kept things together, whatever it took. He kept his family, what was left of it, together. Whatever it took. He liked his time with Rufus, because it made him feel like he was somebody too. 

Today Rufus was waiting for him by the bananas. He gave Dean a big smile, and Dean felt himself smiling back. A real smile, reserved pretty much for Rufus and Sam. Dean sauntered up and grabbed the clipboard and began checking off items he knew they would stock tonight, 

"Well??" Rufus prompted, "did we get that boy off to Stanford alright?" 

"Yeah, hes gone. Im an empty nester." Dean joked, dryly.

"I bet he loves it." Rufus coaxed, leading the conversation. 

Dean considered lying to Rufus, saying Sam had called making up a story about how great college was so far. Instead he sighed. "I wouldnt know. He hasnt called."

"Well,"Rufus said with a shrug,"probably has a lot going on out there. He'll call." 

"Yeah," Dean looked up and was greeted by Rufus' friendly smile. "Well, you get started on these bananas and I'm going to go check we got that shipment of grapes for the sale this week." 

He knew Rufus wanted to talk more about Sam and college, and how did Dean feel about that. But Dean wasn't even sure yet how he felt about that and until he felt less vulnerable he just wanted to keep it  
business as usual. 

Later, sitting in the makeshift break room that was a folding table and a vending machine toward the loading dock entrance, Dean sat eating his free pie. He had given up waiting for Sam to call him and had instead spent almost his whole thirty minutes of peace blowing up his baby brothers phone. He sighed in frustration as the familiar message came across the line again, 

"Hey this is Sam, leave me a message." Dean shut the phone off and leaned back in his chair, wondering what had happened to his brother. Could Sam really be that selfish that he didnt know Dean would be worried sick? He glanced at the wall clock above him, and decided he had time to wander outside by the smokers bench for a few minutes. He had never been a smoker, but he thought they always had some pretty great stories and he liked to hang around them on his break sometimes. 

He sauntered up, catching the tale end of a nightmare customer tale a girl he knew from school, Charlie, was telling the group. Rufus was there, laughing. Everyone was laughing. People really liked Charlie. She caught sight of him and began waving vigorously. "Hi!! Hi Dean!!" She said enthusiastically.

"Hi, Charlie. Hi, Guys." He addressed the group, leaning against the brick wall behind the bench. 

"Are you our fearless leader tonight?" Charlie asked him, stuffing another piece of mint gum into her mouth, adding to the massive wad she was already chomping. She had quit smoking months ago and she chewed more when she was around the smokers on their break. But like Dean, she knew this was where to come for conversation. 

Dean nodded, "Who do we have tonight?" He asked her. Charlie knew everyone and Dean knew she had probably already studied the inventory schedule to see who she would be working with.

"Meg does this to you everytime it is her weekend." She informed Dean, studying him for a reaction. "We would all rather work with you though." And the group around the table nodded in agreement. 

"I dont mind doing it. Its extra cash." Dean said.

"Anyways, its me, you, Rufus, that new guy Gabe, and Bobby from the meat department." She told him. "Have you met the new guy?" She inquired, taking a sip of her gatorade. 

"No." Dean knew she already knew this. Dean didnt go out of his way to meet anyone. The way he felt about it was, the more people you let into your life, the more people you have given the power to wreck your life. Other than Sam, he didnt need anybody. And this mentality had translated into most of his relationships, friendship and intimate. He let everyone know they were disposable. Better to leave then to be left, in his opinion. 

"Hes nice, kind of weird." Charlie told him. "Funny, though." 

"Well I guess I will put you with the new guy, and Rufus with Bobby. And I will stock frozen foods." Dean informed her. Business as usual. He liked everyone at work well enough, but he didnt ever invest too much in conversation or gossip.Rufus knew more than anyone about him. He turned and walked back into the building. Once he was back inside he realized he hadnt even told them he was leaving. A side effect of being guarded was that he had become socially awkward.He shrugged to himself , he figured he hadnt done anything any of them wouldnt expect.

Later they all gathered by the now locked sliding doors at the front and Dean handed out product sheets to each group. "Okay. If we work together, we can get out of here pretty fast. Gabe," He addressed the new employee, "I am going to have you work with Charlie. Just listen to her, she knows a lot. You guys are on dry goods aisle one through five. Rufus and Bobby you guys are on dry goods aisles five through ten and Im going to stock frozen foods. Morning shift is going to stock Dairy for us. We should get done by five at the latest. But if we really hustle, we can get out by four. You know I dont want anyone to hurt themselves so breaks are at your discretion. I dont care when you take them or how often. Just make sure stuff is getting done, too. Any questions?"  
He looked up from his clipboard. No one had any questions, though he thought the new guy looked kind of confused. "Okay, well if anything comes up come and find me in the freezers. Lets just rock this and go home."

Charlie feigned an enthusiastic whoop, and the group broke apart. Dean headed to the freezers and donned a jacket he had pulled from the lost and found. Stocking the freezer would be harder alone but he didnt really work well with others and they were short a sixth person tonight. He worked dilligently, moving pretty fast from freezer to freezer. He tried to imagine what Sam was doing at College while he worked. Creating an elaborate world for his brother in his head. He had nothing to reference college to, except what he had seen on T.V. So T.V college was what Sam got in his mind, a fraternity guy and a football star. Even though in reality Sam had no athletic ability and was probably already holed up in the campus library. 

After awhile he decided to go check on the rest of his teams progress. There were definitely less boxes, so that was a good sign. He found Charlie and Gabe stocking soup. Gabe was talking and Charlie was sitting on a box listening intently,absently putting soups on the shelf. She jumped when she heard Deans footsteps. "Dont do that!!" She said accusingly. 

Dean laughed despite himself, "I wasnt trying to. Must be some story." He said eyeing Gabe. 

Charlie, who was born without a filter blurted, "Gabes been telling me about how he goes to therapy to cope with his break up. And how he learned hes co-dependent." 

Gabe turned red with embarassment, his eyes wide with shock that Charlie had shared his personal information with Dean. 'See buddy?' Dean thought to himself, 'theres a prime example why I dont let anyone in.' 

"And he gets this shrink he talks to off of an App!!" Charlie said excitedly. "Theres an App for everything!!" 

Gabe rolled his eyes, "Its called The Guardian Angel App. It costs, its not like its free therapy or anything. And they still recommend seeking a real therapist. They just recognized some places have high wait periods for mental health evaluations even. So they're trying to bridge the gap. Its pretty cool." 

"Oh." Dean said lamely. He remembered going to therapy after his mom died. 'Play therapy' it had been called. To help him identify his feelings. But the office had been stuffy and his dad never came in. Just dropped him off there, and once he got through the waiting room John had always gone down the street to the bar for the full hour. Sometimes Dean had to wait on the steps outside the office until John remembered where he had left him and come back to get him. He promised himself he would never go back to therapy again. Let some weirdo read too much into the things he said and did and tell him he was crazy. No, and besides Dean didnt have any problems. "Well, Im glad its working for you." He told Gabe. 

He headed down the line to check on Bobby and Rufus, who were talking animatedly about the upcoming hunting season. They looked like they were getting plenty done, which didnt surprise Dean. Bobby was a lot like him. If it had to be done, you just did it. They both smiled and waved at Dean when they saw him. 

"How about it Boy? You coming hunting with us this year?" Bobby asked him. 

Dean just shook his head and waved, heading back to his freezers. 

The rest of the night went off without a hitch and they did, as Dean predicted, get out of there by four. Dean threw what was left of his pie in the passenger seat and turned up the radio before pulling out of the parking lot onto louisiana boulevard.  
He drove a little fast on the way home, anxious to charge his phone and call Sam again. He should have counted on inventory night and brought his charger along with him but he hadnt and he was worried he had missed a call from his little brother. He walked into the townhouse and threw his keys down on the table making a beeline for the charger. It was then that he realized where his brother was it was only nearing three in the morning. He sighed and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, grabbing a fork and reaching for his left over pie. 

He munched quietly for awhile, thinking how deafeningly quiet and lonely the house seemed without Sam in it. Dean didnt like to be alone, despite his walls and efforts to keep people away and out. It had never much been an issue until now since he had always had Sam around. He remembered Gabe admitting to Charlie he was co-dependent. And wondered what that meant. Wondered if maybe that was his problem. He finished his pie and grabbed the phone and charger and headedminto the living room. He settled into the couch and flipped on the news, maybe he would see something he could talk to Rufus about. 

After awhile, he grabbed up his phone and typed up a quick message to Sam. 'Hey. Call me when you wake up. Worried.' 

He started to lay the phone down, but curiosity got the better of him and he found himself searching The Guardian Angel app.  
There were a lot of articles calling it a "breakthrough in mental health support" and "a saving grace for those who have a hard time taking the first step". He couldnt find one bad review. The first month was free, according to the PlayStore.  
That didnt seem like a huge commitment, Dean thought. 'I will just try it out, just to see what its about. And before my month is up then I will cancel. Probably even cancel today.' He typed in his credit card information and hit download.  
He followed all of the prompts and sent up a profile for the online shrinks to peruse. The site warned there would be a deeper evaluation later, after a shrink (Deans word, not theres) was assigned to their account. The main question to be answered now was, "What seems to be bothering you today?" 

Dean took a deep breath and typed, "Just lonely." He hit save and went to take a shower. 

When he came back to the couch his phone was blinking. He hoped it was a message from Sam, but it was one new message in the Angel app. Dean opened it, some Shrink named 'Cas' (And what kind of a name was that? Dean wondered. Probably  
a fake one.) had written him already. Just a quick message with his new evaluation attatched.

"Hello, Dean."


	2. Getting To Know You (Getting to Know All About You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean learns a little something about Castiel, and he learns a little more about himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter, sorry. Im trying. Also sorry so long between posts, my work has been keeping me swamped.

Dean stared at his phone like it was a foreign object. He hadn’t expected a response so fast. It made him wonder if these shrinks were just sitting around out of work hanging onto their devices like leches waiting for someone to need them. He tried to picture this needy shrink, jumping when Dean’s name had appeared in his mailbox. Desperate to help or desperate to get paid, one of the two. He felt kind angered by the idea, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. The thought of someone making money off of him and people like Gabe who needed a little extra help coping   
With life sometimes just made him feel annoyed, and pissed off. He decided anyone who felt comfortable making money off someone else’s misery was the worst kind of person. He was regretting downloading the app now. But he wanted to use up as much of this SOB’s time while it was free as he could. Maybe the more time he spent on Dean’s case he wouldn’t make as much money because he would have less time with paid cases. The idea of that made him smile to himself.   
“Okay, buddy. “ He said aloud.   
And after grabbing a beer from the fridge he settled on the couch and opened the attachment. 

The first round of questions were about anxiety. He skimmed through the questions without answering. In the past 6 weeks have you felt anxious, scared or worried about things in your life? He thought about that. Not things in his life...Sams life, yeah. In the past 6 weeks have you felt like the worry was beyond your control? Well, it WAS beyond his control since he was worrying about someone else. Dean shook his head. How was he supposed to answer these questions honestly when they didn’t even apply to him in a specific way?   
Frustrated he closed the attachment and instead clicked on the shrinks (Cas’?) name and waited while a profile loaded. 

Castiel Novak (Obviously Cas, for short). A picture showed him in front of some stone wall Dean imagined was part of some crazy bin he worked at. He was smiling, and wearing a white collared shirt and black slacks. One leg bent up, with his foot resting on the wall behind him. Arms hanging loosely at his sides. And a pair of the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen quinting against the sun.   
Dean studied that picture for a long time. He didn’t have a habit of liking anyone right off the bat. He was judgemental by nature. He didn’t have a habit of liking many people after learning about them either. That was why he was so bothered staring at those blue eyes and that stupid smile. That wind tossed dark hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed but instead just had fingers combed through it. Something in that smile, in those goddamned blue eyes made Dean want to like him right off the bat. And in Deans experience that couldn’t mean anything good. People are problems. Just in human form. And it was probably a false sensation anyways, he reasoned. He was just craving human interaction since Sammy was gone.   
He scrolled past the picture and read the guys credentials, rolling his eyes when he saw that the guy even listed his primary school. Then stopped scrolling when he realized he had gone to primary school where he lived. Mr. Novak was an orphan. That was why he wanted to study psychology, according to his biography. Because he wanted to understand the emotional ramifications of being abandoned. It didn’t say being without parents. It literally said abandoned.   
Dean scrolled back up to the picture and now the pose seemed a little guarded and the smile seemed a little uncertain. Because once upon a time, someone had abandoned this guy. Just left him with some Nuns and never come back.   
“Okay, Cas.” Dean said to the picture. “I’m going to give this my best shot. You seem like an okay guy. You get one shot.” It was more than he had given to anyone.   
He finished the questionaire and hit send. 

After taking the quiz Dean felt mentally exhausted and he fell into bed with a grateful sigh.   
After texting Sammy for the umpteenth time he put his phone on his makeshift nightstand (a couple of stacked pallets from checkers) and turned out the light. 

 

Dean found himself crouched behind the Impala. Shadows fell around him, along with thick smoke. He wasnt sure if it was exhaust fumes or maybe just fog. Heat was all around him in the darkness and he could hear someone hollering for him. Frantic. Thats when he noticed the bright flames dancing all around him in a circle, separating him from his family. Sammy, as a baby and his dad. His dad gesturing wildly for him to jump through the ring of fire. Wait, where was mommy? 

“Dean!! Come on Son! Take your brother outside, as fast as you can! Dont look back!” No longer was Dean crouched behind the Impala but he was inside the house, his childhood home. Flames were enveloping everything around them but he swallowed back his childhood fears and pushed on for Sammy. Once he had baby Sam in his arms he ran outside as fast as his young legs would carry him and dropped a few yards out of the danger zone in the grass. Clutching his baby brother tight he watched his childhood home burn, his chest tight from fear and smoke inhalation. Searching the flames for signs of his parents running through to safety. But only one figure appeared seeming supernaturally tall and strong. His dad. John Winchester ran toward his children waiting in the grass narrowly missing a beam falling from the front porch. The sound   
Of sirens grew louder from a distance and neighbors began to gather around the family mouths covered in shock quietly asking what happened to Mary.  
Dean woke covered in cold sweat. It takes a moment for the room to come into focus around him, as he wraps the covers tight around himself trying to control his bodies shaking. It had been a long time since he had dreamed about the awful fire that claimed his mothers life. He took a few deep breaths and finally reached out to turn on the bedside lamp. Early morning light was peaking in above the curtains and he knew he had only slept a few hours at the most. Even so he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and sat there. Trying to swallow back all the emotions that came with the nightmare that had claimed him since his youth.   
‘Nightmare that is a reality.’ He scoffed to himself, silently.   
He knew it was probably because of the new dynamic of his life, Sam moving out, that he was having the dream again. Dean liked to fancy himself an outsider, but the truth was he had never actually been ‘alone’, because he had always had Sammy.   
After a few more minutes of quietly sitting and calming himself he walked through the dark townhouse to Sammys room and flipped on the light.   
The room looked bare and ransacked. A few hangers on the floor and empty hooks on the wall. The bed stripped and abandoned. Dean had to fight to swallow back the lump in his throat. He entered the room and sat on the bed.   
“I freaking miss you, Man.” He said allowed.   
Dean continued to sit there, mentally persuading his brother to get a hold of him. After awhile he balled up a forgotten hoody for a makeshift pillow and fell into blissful sleep in his baby brothers room, leaving the lights all ablaze.

Sometime near noon, Dean woke up slightly confused as to why he was in Sams room. Then he remembered the nightmare and shook his head at himself. “Get it together, man.” He verbally scolded himself. He went to the kitchen and made himself eat some toast before he checked his phone. 

Nothing from Sam. Nothing from Cas. He pocketed his phone and wallet and grabbed his keys. A drive in his Baby always made him feel better. And with a day off he knew just where he was going too. 

He climbed in the drivers seat and just let the engines purr and the old school rock chase his worries away. Dean Winchester didnt need anything except his Baby, his music and the open road.

**Author's Note:**

> please be gentle


End file.
